Friday--
Welcome to the last Friday of May. Five months of this year gone already. The temps should go into the low 80s before the cool, wetter weather settles in for the weekend. One of our neighbors is moving and Mom saw what looks like a crib railing they put out for the trash. She wondered if I could us it in the gardens and I decided that I can. It will provide a new trellis structure. I have a strawberry "wall" in mind for next year. I may add something yet this year that can hang on it.
Saturday--
Rains did come in yesterday afternoon and we had a couple of deluges. They didn't last long but it did come in heavy and hard. We should have more of the same today with falling temps. Too wet to do much though I really don't have much to do right now. Still haven't got my sweet potato slips.
Sunday--
Wet outside. We had rain most of yesterday and through the night. The weather people say it should move out today. I got an e-mail yesterday telling me the sweet potato slips are on the way and should arrive in the middle of next week. I did a brief walk-through of the gardens and found a tiny tomato trying to form on the Microtom, a strawberry that will be ripe tomorrow and several plants that will need staking when things dry out a bit. A few of the plants were a bit bedraggled by the driving rain we had yesterday. A couple of the wintergreen look somewhat stressed. I don't know if they will make it.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Tuesday--
Not much new in the gardens. Probable rain and no tasks that need doing.
Yves Smith at Naked Capitalism says exactly what I have been saying about the so-called sharing economy--it is no such thing.
Ray McGovern at Fire Dog Lake gives a brutal, but I think accurate, assessment of Memorial Day and the empty, sanctimonious and hypocritical ceremonies "honoring" the "fallen." And, before anyone takes umbrage at my agreement, I spent an enlistment term in the Navy way, way, way back in the latter years of Vietnam. I bought the "patriotic" crap until I learned that it was crap. As far as the canard passed out all too often today that we have to fight "them" over there (wherever there is) so we won't have to fight "them" over here, well we seem to be fighting "them" both there and here anyway. I put "them" in quotes because you can take the arguments for fighting in every military action since Korea and substitute "communist" to "Islamist terrorist" and get exactly the same thing. "Them" is whoever our powers-that-be happen to not like at the moment. Pay particular attention to the quote from once-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on the combat troops they were sending into harms way.
The weather this year has been utterly mind-blowing. This was the report this morning on the Texas floods. They say the rainfall and flooding are "historic." I wonder how much all that water has actually done for the drought situation given that much has simply run off washing a hell of a lot (property and people) away. I only hope it has relieved that situation.
Wednesday--
We did have periods of heavy rain yesterday and high wind. Should calm down a bit today. I will check everything in the gardens a bit later.
Thursday--
We didn't get anything more than brief and light showers yesterday. The only way I knew they had passed through was the moisture on the patio. It wasn't enough to do the plants any good so I will water most this morning. Temps are supposed to be cooler over the weekend. I planted my beans (red-seeded asparagus, Gold Marie vining, Sunset runner, and Blauhilde) yesterday in the same pots with the quickly growing sunflowers. All the tomatoes are growing quickly. I trimmed off the lower leaves over the last couple of days and at least two, a Microtom and a Red Robin, are blooming. The peas, squash, Barese and dragon's egg cucumbers are all growing nicely. When we went shopping to get some salad fixings to feed our salad craving we found a lime basil that I transplanted. Every now and again the grocery stores are selling living herbs with intact root plugs. They are evidently quite viable since mine is thriving (so far). The new strawberries are also doing well. The bare root plants were a disappointment, as I told a clerk at the garden shop where I bought them and their replacements. Still waiting for the sweet potato slips.
In case anyone is confused as to who will benefit from the TPP and its sister, the TTIP, check out this article from the Guardian. And it is a goddam shame that it is published in a British paper and not plastered all over our news media.
Stratfor posted this today and there is much I like about it. I agree with the author's attempt to distance the "sacrifice" of soldiers from particular places and his critique of the notion that simply because an area as once "liberated" that those sacrificed require renewed sacrifice if that area falls into "enemy" hands. And I agree that military deaths shouldn't be devalued simply because at a later date the "liberated" site falls into unfriendly hands. I have a big problem with the ends, often half-baked and hidden from public view, for which the lives are expended. Honor our military, especially those who have died, but don't do it by suspending moral judgement on the ends for which they were sacrificed or the motives of those who sent them into harm's way.
I always enjoy Gene Logsdon's posts and his post today on "Dead-End Work" is certainly no exception. I have thought for a log time that our society denigrates the wrong kind of work--anything of the manual labor type including farming. We have spent two-plus centuries converting various manual jobs into machine work. The theory was that any work that machines could be created or programmed to do wasn't worthy of human effort or living wages. And yet we can very easily do without the paper shuffling but we can't live without the food the farmer produces or that manual harvesters pick.
Not much new in the gardens. Probable rain and no tasks that need doing.
Yves Smith at Naked Capitalism says exactly what I have been saying about the so-called sharing economy--it is no such thing.
Ray McGovern at Fire Dog Lake gives a brutal, but I think accurate, assessment of Memorial Day and the empty, sanctimonious and hypocritical ceremonies "honoring" the "fallen." And, before anyone takes umbrage at my agreement, I spent an enlistment term in the Navy way, way, way back in the latter years of Vietnam. I bought the "patriotic" crap until I learned that it was crap. As far as the canard passed out all too often today that we have to fight "them" over there (wherever there is) so we won't have to fight "them" over here, well we seem to be fighting "them" both there and here anyway. I put "them" in quotes because you can take the arguments for fighting in every military action since Korea and substitute "communist" to "Islamist terrorist" and get exactly the same thing. "Them" is whoever our powers-that-be happen to not like at the moment. Pay particular attention to the quote from once-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on the combat troops they were sending into harms way.
The weather this year has been utterly mind-blowing. This was the report this morning on the Texas floods. They say the rainfall and flooding are "historic." I wonder how much all that water has actually done for the drought situation given that much has simply run off washing a hell of a lot (property and people) away. I only hope it has relieved that situation.
Wednesday--
We did have periods of heavy rain yesterday and high wind. Should calm down a bit today. I will check everything in the gardens a bit later.
Thursday--
We didn't get anything more than brief and light showers yesterday. The only way I knew they had passed through was the moisture on the patio. It wasn't enough to do the plants any good so I will water most this morning. Temps are supposed to be cooler over the weekend. I planted my beans (red-seeded asparagus, Gold Marie vining, Sunset runner, and Blauhilde) yesterday in the same pots with the quickly growing sunflowers. All the tomatoes are growing quickly. I trimmed off the lower leaves over the last couple of days and at least two, a Microtom and a Red Robin, are blooming. The peas, squash, Barese and dragon's egg cucumbers are all growing nicely. When we went shopping to get some salad fixings to feed our salad craving we found a lime basil that I transplanted. Every now and again the grocery stores are selling living herbs with intact root plugs. They are evidently quite viable since mine is thriving (so far). The new strawberries are also doing well. The bare root plants were a disappointment, as I told a clerk at the garden shop where I bought them and their replacements. Still waiting for the sweet potato slips.
In case anyone is confused as to who will benefit from the TPP and its sister, the TTIP, check out this article from the Guardian. And it is a goddam shame that it is published in a British paper and not plastered all over our news media.
Stratfor posted this today and there is much I like about it. I agree with the author's attempt to distance the "sacrifice" of soldiers from particular places and his critique of the notion that simply because an area as once "liberated" that those sacrificed require renewed sacrifice if that area falls into "enemy" hands. And I agree that military deaths shouldn't be devalued simply because at a later date the "liberated" site falls into unfriendly hands. I have a big problem with the ends, often half-baked and hidden from public view, for which the lives are expended. Honor our military, especially those who have died, but don't do it by suspending moral judgement on the ends for which they were sacrificed or the motives of those who sent them into harm's way.
I always enjoy Gene Logsdon's posts and his post today on "Dead-End Work" is certainly no exception. I have thought for a log time that our society denigrates the wrong kind of work--anything of the manual labor type including farming. We have spent two-plus centuries converting various manual jobs into machine work. The theory was that any work that machines could be created or programmed to do wasn't worthy of human effort or living wages. And yet we can very easily do without the paper shuffling but we can't live without the food the farmer produces or that manual harvesters pick.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Monday--Happy Memorial Day!!
A bit cloudy with a chance of showers but clearing later. We expect a warm week with chances for rain most days. I don't have anything planned in the gardens except a bit of weeding and other such tasks. I hope to get my sweet potato slips soon so I can get them planted. Later this week I will plant the beans now that the sunflowers are growing well. I pulled the weakest of them yesterday leaving two in each container that will (I hope) provide the "stakes" for the pole bean plants. Every time I go into the kitchen I stop and look at what I have growing out there. The green is a feast for my eyes and a balm for my soul. I have missed that over what feels like a nearly interminable winter and a spring that wasn't.
This would be interesting. I hope the trials work out. I had to stop wearing contacts twice over the years. First when I couldn't wear the hard lenses any more and the soft lenses for my vision problems (near sighted and needing bifocals) weren't yet available. About ten years ago my eyes became too dry to tolerate the soft lenses so I had to stop wearing them. I would dearly love to do away with all corrective lenses completely.
I have, deliberately, not followed the Duggar situation closely. It is a snafu in the sense I learned the acronym: situation normal, all fucked up. The key is the word "normal." I have seen all too many of these snafus over the years. A sanctimonious Christianist has transgressed in a disgusting, usually sexual, manner. On one hand we have those shocked by the hypocrisy spewing their worthless twaddle while on the other we have the apologists telling us he (usually a he) has asked God for forgiveness and received it, has been counseled and has reformed, and is ready to go on to lead a reformed life. Infidel753 makes some interesting comments on the whole mess. What about the victims and I don't mean poor Josh Duggar who is certainly not a victim. What about his victims, the real victims--the girls he assaulted? Has he asked their forgiveness and made any kind of meaningful restitution to them? A number of the bloggers I read have asked the same questions. I haven't seen an answer yet. Notice that neither of the camps spewing inanities on this matter have any focus on the girls.
A bit cloudy with a chance of showers but clearing later. We expect a warm week with chances for rain most days. I don't have anything planned in the gardens except a bit of weeding and other such tasks. I hope to get my sweet potato slips soon so I can get them planted. Later this week I will plant the beans now that the sunflowers are growing well. I pulled the weakest of them yesterday leaving two in each container that will (I hope) provide the "stakes" for the pole bean plants. Every time I go into the kitchen I stop and look at what I have growing out there. The green is a feast for my eyes and a balm for my soul. I have missed that over what feels like a nearly interminable winter and a spring that wasn't.
This would be interesting. I hope the trials work out. I had to stop wearing contacts twice over the years. First when I couldn't wear the hard lenses any more and the soft lenses for my vision problems (near sighted and needing bifocals) weren't yet available. About ten years ago my eyes became too dry to tolerate the soft lenses so I had to stop wearing them. I would dearly love to do away with all corrective lenses completely.
I have, deliberately, not followed the Duggar situation closely. It is a snafu in the sense I learned the acronym: situation normal, all fucked up. The key is the word "normal." I have seen all too many of these snafus over the years. A sanctimonious Christianist has transgressed in a disgusting, usually sexual, manner. On one hand we have those shocked by the hypocrisy spewing their worthless twaddle while on the other we have the apologists telling us he (usually a he) has asked God for forgiveness and received it, has been counseled and has reformed, and is ready to go on to lead a reformed life. Infidel753 makes some interesting comments on the whole mess. What about the victims and I don't mean poor Josh Duggar who is certainly not a victim. What about his victims, the real victims--the girls he assaulted? Has he asked their forgiveness and made any kind of meaningful restitution to them? A number of the bloggers I read have asked the same questions. I haven't seen an answer yet. Notice that neither of the camps spewing inanities on this matter have any focus on the girls.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Sunday--
Harvested the first cuttings of spearmint and peppermint yesterday. I had to cut the spearmint so I could remove the top tier of my plant tower to take out the strawberries that failed and planting the new plants. Swept out all of the maple seeds that have dropped on the patio. None of the trees are near the patio but every year a lot of the seeds find their way in. With the (moderately) higher temps the patio is back to its oven mode. I really have to watch the plants because the beds tend to dry out quickly. I have to watch me too because I an not as tolerant of heat as I was when I was younger.
As I read this I had flashes of scenes from Brave New World. People in that vision of the future were drugged into "happiness." It occurred to me that we aren't far from that now.
Gaius Publius has a post on the Santa Barbara oil spill. The company has a history of spills. I do wish we could execute these criminal corporate "persons."
Harvested the first cuttings of spearmint and peppermint yesterday. I had to cut the spearmint so I could remove the top tier of my plant tower to take out the strawberries that failed and planting the new plants. Swept out all of the maple seeds that have dropped on the patio. None of the trees are near the patio but every year a lot of the seeds find their way in. With the (moderately) higher temps the patio is back to its oven mode. I really have to watch the plants because the beds tend to dry out quickly. I have to watch me too because I an not as tolerant of heat as I was when I was younger.
As I read this I had flashes of scenes from Brave New World. People in that vision of the future were drugged into "happiness." It occurred to me that we aren't far from that now.
Gaius Publius has a post on the Santa Barbara oil spill. The company has a history of spills. I do wish we could execute these criminal corporate "persons."
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Saturday--
I pulled the rose yesterday and, as expected, I found no live roots. That pretty much ends my experiments with perennials in my gardens. At least for now. I might try again after I think about the situation a bit more. We made a trip to the garden center and I picked up some new plants and potting mix. The strawberry bare roots never sprouted so they are coming out. Another experiment that won't be repeated. I replaced them with plants. Also picked up a nicely grown foxglove (for the hummingbirds and bees), a mandavilla that is providing a welcome splash of color. Trying another experiment with one of the hanging pocket gardens. For those who aren't familiar with the concept check this out. Mine is much smaller and filled with begonias. If it works I will use it next year with other plants. Found a new variety of pepper, the Shishito, to try. Also picked up a couple of new peppermint plants. You can never have enough mints.
Found this first thing this morning. I guess they thought it a good idea at the time. As too often happens, someone now needs to clean up the results of the "good intentions."
Now this is an interesting idea on the issue of sky-high medical bills: don't pay. Of course they aren't saying don't pay anything and the strategy only works when you have high-powered legal help.
I have been watching the hot weather creeping north in various parts of the globe. This is nasty. The northern hemisphere is still a month away from the beginning of summer. By the way, 44.5C translates to 112F.
I pulled the rose yesterday and, as expected, I found no live roots. That pretty much ends my experiments with perennials in my gardens. At least for now. I might try again after I think about the situation a bit more. We made a trip to the garden center and I picked up some new plants and potting mix. The strawberry bare roots never sprouted so they are coming out. Another experiment that won't be repeated. I replaced them with plants. Also picked up a nicely grown foxglove (for the hummingbirds and bees), a mandavilla that is providing a welcome splash of color. Trying another experiment with one of the hanging pocket gardens. For those who aren't familiar with the concept check this out. Mine is much smaller and filled with begonias. If it works I will use it next year with other plants. Found a new variety of pepper, the Shishito, to try. Also picked up a couple of new peppermint plants. You can never have enough mints.
Found this first thing this morning. I guess they thought it a good idea at the time. As too often happens, someone now needs to clean up the results of the "good intentions."
Now this is an interesting idea on the issue of sky-high medical bills: don't pay. Of course they aren't saying don't pay anything and the strategy only works when you have high-powered legal help.
I have been watching the hot weather creeping north in various parts of the globe. This is nasty. The northern hemisphere is still a month away from the beginning of summer. By the way, 44.5C translates to 112F.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Tuesday--
Watered some of the plants outside and checked on all of them. What was doing well yesterday are still doing well and what wasn't doing anything is still not doing anything. It is too cold to do much.
I have heard about problem prison/jail administrators have had in other parts of the world when they find the funds to continue operations aren't forthcoming. But this is in Alabama.
I had a bit to say about this article. Since none of that was polite I won't reiterate. This won't end with Canada and Mexico or with just beef, pork, and chicken. Have any of read about the conditions under which some of the fish and shellfish imported into the U.S. have been raised? Well, we like to know where our food comes from and will continue our habits of buyings thins as locally as possible from dealers who deal locally and buying no imported fish or shell fish.
Wednesday--
Cold--Cold--Cold. Did I say Cold?? Only about 40F outside this morning. I don't expect any problems with the plants. The lemon verbena are the most tender of them and those plants are all inside. I will go out later and water the tomatoes on the fence. The wind just sucks the moisture out of them.
How much "shadow work" do you do? I am old enough to remember "full service" gas stations where an attendant pumped your gas, washed your windows, sometimes checked your oil. Then the stations offered a "price break" when you opted for self-serve. Essentially the lower price paid you for your effort. My how cheaply we value our time.
Thursday--
A little warmer than this time yesterday but it should warm up a bit today. We are so ready for real spring. The weather people joked that we have gone from winter through spring and into summer all in the space of a few days. One of our hummingbirds has returned. After visiting the feeder it looked over the plants but all of the ones that it might find interesting aren't anywhere near blooming. Even though I had a fair number of seedlings successfully started here at home I have a number of spaces in the gardens so I will look for plants the hummers might like. The only plants that looked stressed after yesterday's frigid beginning were my lemon basil but they seemed to be perking up. I hope the second unseasonably cold temps this morning won't stress them further. I brought a pepper and rosemary in from the little greenhouse. Sure hope the rosemary in the gardens is doing well. It looked good yesterday. Another bit of weather trivia: yesterday's high was the lowest high on record for that date. I am grateful for one bit of good luck--none of the hail and snow flurries that fell a bit north and west of here came by us.
Friday--
Almost 50F this morning and should go into the high 60s. Yesterday turned very nice yesterday as the sun finally burned through the clouds. I watered a bit in the gardens. The wind, as I mentioned, dries the plants out. I noticed some cold damage on a couple of the tomatoes but they are looking pretty good otherwise.
Watered some of the plants outside and checked on all of them. What was doing well yesterday are still doing well and what wasn't doing anything is still not doing anything. It is too cold to do much.
I have heard about problem prison/jail administrators have had in other parts of the world when they find the funds to continue operations aren't forthcoming. But this is in Alabama.
I had a bit to say about this article. Since none of that was polite I won't reiterate. This won't end with Canada and Mexico or with just beef, pork, and chicken. Have any of read about the conditions under which some of the fish and shellfish imported into the U.S. have been raised? Well, we like to know where our food comes from and will continue our habits of buyings thins as locally as possible from dealers who deal locally and buying no imported fish or shell fish.
Wednesday--
Cold--Cold--Cold. Did I say Cold?? Only about 40F outside this morning. I don't expect any problems with the plants. The lemon verbena are the most tender of them and those plants are all inside. I will go out later and water the tomatoes on the fence. The wind just sucks the moisture out of them.
How much "shadow work" do you do? I am old enough to remember "full service" gas stations where an attendant pumped your gas, washed your windows, sometimes checked your oil. Then the stations offered a "price break" when you opted for self-serve. Essentially the lower price paid you for your effort. My how cheaply we value our time.
Thursday--
A little warmer than this time yesterday but it should warm up a bit today. We are so ready for real spring. The weather people joked that we have gone from winter through spring and into summer all in the space of a few days. One of our hummingbirds has returned. After visiting the feeder it looked over the plants but all of the ones that it might find interesting aren't anywhere near blooming. Even though I had a fair number of seedlings successfully started here at home I have a number of spaces in the gardens so I will look for plants the hummers might like. The only plants that looked stressed after yesterday's frigid beginning were my lemon basil but they seemed to be perking up. I hope the second unseasonably cold temps this morning won't stress them further. I brought a pepper and rosemary in from the little greenhouse. Sure hope the rosemary in the gardens is doing well. It looked good yesterday. Another bit of weather trivia: yesterday's high was the lowest high on record for that date. I am grateful for one bit of good luck--none of the hail and snow flurries that fell a bit north and west of here came by us.
Friday--
Almost 50F this morning and should go into the high 60s. Yesterday turned very nice yesterday as the sun finally burned through the clouds. I watered a bit in the gardens. The wind, as I mentioned, dries the plants out. I noticed some cold damage on a couple of the tomatoes but they are looking pretty good otherwise.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Saturday--
Supposed to get temps into the mid 80s with a chance of storms. I did get my hyssop and lemon basil transplanted yesterday and will get a few other plants out if things are dry enough long enough. We had heavy rain last night so things need to dry out a bit. I also need to find the pots for the wintergreen and lemon verbena plants. I love the way Cook's Garden packed the plants. They were in easily-opened clam shell packages that kept the plants secure curing shipment. Those plants are destined for a life inside with brief times outside in good weather. When I opened up the lemon verbena the strong lemon scent reminded be of why I want to find a way to grow it. It was wonderful.
As expected Tsarnaev was given a death sentence. An interesting "win-win" situation. The families, prosecutors, and the worst of our commentariat can claim a kind of justice (which is a thin veneer over thick plank of vengeance) while Tsarnaev, if he really is a committed jihadi, gets what he truly wants (martyrdom and a reward in his heaven.) If I sound somewhat cynical, I'm not. I'm a lot cynical.
Sunday--
Supposed to be warm again today with a likelihood of storms. Probably won't get much done outside today but things are looking very nice. In the early morning I saw a couple of the Cupcake squash peeking their little heads above the ground in their pot and by late afternoon all five had emerged and unfurled their first leaves. The peas are just a bit behind them. Still no sign of life in the strawberries. The wintergreen and lemon verbena plants are all in their pots and recovering from the transplanting well.
Monday--
We should get near 80 today before the temperature takes a serious dive. Overnight drop into the low 40s. I will bring the wintergreen and lemon verbena I put in the greenhouse inside for the next several days. All my peas have sprouted and the Barese cucumbers are starting to poke through the soil. The rose still hasn't shown any signs of life so I will wait until next week and, if it is still not showing anything, I will dig it up and check what is happening below the surface. And if the strawberry plants aren't showing anything I will replace them with already sprouted plants.
This article sums up some interesting studies, clinical and lab, on drug addiction that I have hear a very few mentions of before. It makes one wonder if we really don't have the entire notion of drug addiction wrong.
Some time ago we decided to change our foods to those which were the least processed in any way and had the fewest additives. As a result we get whole dairy products as much as possible. No 2%, 1% or skim. We have also shifted away from margarine and back to butter. Conventional thinking would be aghast and waiting for us to gain a lot of weight as a result. Didn't happen. This article might help explain it--as far a nutrition science can explain much of anything.
Another interesting article that pretty much confirms some of my own not terribly scientific conclusions: much of what appears in the science literature isn't very reliable. All too often the results are preliminary and won't stand up to further studies aimed at confirming them. The pressure to publish and publish frequently pushes the release of preliminary data long before any firm conclusions can be reached. And too often the researcher asks the wrong questions or fails to ask reasonable follow-up questions. (See the first article I linked to where they describe the studies in which isolated rats lapped up the cocaine laced water till they died.) Also the entities which fund the studies want certain results and, by asking the right questions and setting the parameters of the experiments the "right" way, their tame researchers can give them those answers. Think about how often a nutritional study which indicates a "health problem" with one kind of food (eggs, red meat, dairy, whatever) is followed by contradictory studies claiming the "health benefits" of those very same foods.
Scott Walker's "Sarah Palin" moment: she was qualified to be vice-president (possibly president) because she could see Russia from her deck and he thinks he is qualified because he traveled to six countries
I have been getting real tired of all of the various events to "honor" our "heroes." They have become increasingly saccharine and staged. Evidently, my instinct on some of those events may more right on than I knew. Cheap and insincere and avoids doing anything of substance to "support" the troops.
Supposed to get temps into the mid 80s with a chance of storms. I did get my hyssop and lemon basil transplanted yesterday and will get a few other plants out if things are dry enough long enough. We had heavy rain last night so things need to dry out a bit. I also need to find the pots for the wintergreen and lemon verbena plants. I love the way Cook's Garden packed the plants. They were in easily-opened clam shell packages that kept the plants secure curing shipment. Those plants are destined for a life inside with brief times outside in good weather. When I opened up the lemon verbena the strong lemon scent reminded be of why I want to find a way to grow it. It was wonderful.
As expected Tsarnaev was given a death sentence. An interesting "win-win" situation. The families, prosecutors, and the worst of our commentariat can claim a kind of justice (which is a thin veneer over thick plank of vengeance) while Tsarnaev, if he really is a committed jihadi, gets what he truly wants (martyrdom and a reward in his heaven.) If I sound somewhat cynical, I'm not. I'm a lot cynical.
Sunday--
Supposed to be warm again today with a likelihood of storms. Probably won't get much done outside today but things are looking very nice. In the early morning I saw a couple of the Cupcake squash peeking their little heads above the ground in their pot and by late afternoon all five had emerged and unfurled their first leaves. The peas are just a bit behind them. Still no sign of life in the strawberries. The wintergreen and lemon verbena plants are all in their pots and recovering from the transplanting well.
Monday--
We should get near 80 today before the temperature takes a serious dive. Overnight drop into the low 40s. I will bring the wintergreen and lemon verbena I put in the greenhouse inside for the next several days. All my peas have sprouted and the Barese cucumbers are starting to poke through the soil. The rose still hasn't shown any signs of life so I will wait until next week and, if it is still not showing anything, I will dig it up and check what is happening below the surface. And if the strawberry plants aren't showing anything I will replace them with already sprouted plants.
This article sums up some interesting studies, clinical and lab, on drug addiction that I have hear a very few mentions of before. It makes one wonder if we really don't have the entire notion of drug addiction wrong.
Some time ago we decided to change our foods to those which were the least processed in any way and had the fewest additives. As a result we get whole dairy products as much as possible. No 2%, 1% or skim. We have also shifted away from margarine and back to butter. Conventional thinking would be aghast and waiting for us to gain a lot of weight as a result. Didn't happen. This article might help explain it--as far a nutrition science can explain much of anything.
Another interesting article that pretty much confirms some of my own not terribly scientific conclusions: much of what appears in the science literature isn't very reliable. All too often the results are preliminary and won't stand up to further studies aimed at confirming them. The pressure to publish and publish frequently pushes the release of preliminary data long before any firm conclusions can be reached. And too often the researcher asks the wrong questions or fails to ask reasonable follow-up questions. (See the first article I linked to where they describe the studies in which isolated rats lapped up the cocaine laced water till they died.) Also the entities which fund the studies want certain results and, by asking the right questions and setting the parameters of the experiments the "right" way, their tame researchers can give them those answers. Think about how often a nutritional study which indicates a "health problem" with one kind of food (eggs, red meat, dairy, whatever) is followed by contradictory studies claiming the "health benefits" of those very same foods.
Scott Walker's "Sarah Palin" moment: she was qualified to be vice-president (possibly president) because she could see Russia from her deck and he thinks he is qualified because he traveled to six countries
I have been getting real tired of all of the various events to "honor" our "heroes." They have become increasingly saccharine and staged. Evidently, my instinct on some of those events may more right on than I knew. Cheap and insincere and avoids doing anything of substance to "support" the troops.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Thursday--
Though warmer than yesterday at this time it is still very cool. But I don't see any frost threats in the seven-day forecast so I will put the Tumbler tomatoes back on the fence and uncover the tomatoes in the containers. The strawberries I wasn't happy have given me no reason to change my mind about them. If they still haven't shown any life by next Monday I will replace them with developed plants. Still haven't seen any life in my rose either. I am not sure when I should consider it a lost cause. I need to move the last of my seedlings upstairs into the mini-greenhouse to harden off a bit before I transplant them. I got an e-mail from Cook's Garden telling me my wintergreen and lemon verbena plants are on the way and should arrive tomorrow. The sweet potato slips should ship next week. That will complete all my orders.
Friday--
Had heavy rain off and on last night. As soon as I have more light outside I will check the plants especially the Tumbler tomatoes which are back on the fence. And the standard tomatoes which I uncovered yesterday. I don't know if it will dry out enough to plant anything more. We'll see. Waiting for the sweet potatoes.
As I have mentioned before, I am very skeptical of the whole notion of "privatization." It is simply a means of commodifying goods/services that shouldn't be turned into profit centers. But we have seen more and more of the process of supplying such goods and services turned over to private companies so they can squeeze as much as they can without regard for the wellbeing of the people receiving those goods and services. Water is an intensifying battle ground as this piece shows. I have read horror stories about cities who privatized their water systems only to have to reclaim them after the companies failed to either up the maintenance of the system creating a health crisis and/or failed to follow through on their other promises. Given what good neighbors profit driven companies based in distant places are, perhaps it won't be so bad.
We haven't used our dishwasher for nearly ten years. We weren't happy with how it cleaned the dishes and never could get it adjusted properly. We simply gave up. There are only two of us here so one of the suggestions the repairman made--to make sure we had a full load each time--was unrealistic. Mom always washes the pans separately anyway but even with a pan or two our few dishes each day wouldn't come close to filling the dishwasher. We could go a week if we had the number of dishes required before we would have a full load and by then the food residue we were supposed to leave on the plates would have dried rock hard. This little article, however, indicates that families with children might have healthier children by mothballing the dishwasher and doing their dishes by hand. Though cleanliness may be next to godliness too much can be a health risk.
Though warmer than yesterday at this time it is still very cool. But I don't see any frost threats in the seven-day forecast so I will put the Tumbler tomatoes back on the fence and uncover the tomatoes in the containers. The strawberries I wasn't happy have given me no reason to change my mind about them. If they still haven't shown any life by next Monday I will replace them with developed plants. Still haven't seen any life in my rose either. I am not sure when I should consider it a lost cause. I need to move the last of my seedlings upstairs into the mini-greenhouse to harden off a bit before I transplant them. I got an e-mail from Cook's Garden telling me my wintergreen and lemon verbena plants are on the way and should arrive tomorrow. The sweet potato slips should ship next week. That will complete all my orders.
Friday--
Had heavy rain off and on last night. As soon as I have more light outside I will check the plants especially the Tumbler tomatoes which are back on the fence. And the standard tomatoes which I uncovered yesterday. I don't know if it will dry out enough to plant anything more. We'll see. Waiting for the sweet potatoes.
As I have mentioned before, I am very skeptical of the whole notion of "privatization." It is simply a means of commodifying goods/services that shouldn't be turned into profit centers. But we have seen more and more of the process of supplying such goods and services turned over to private companies so they can squeeze as much as they can without regard for the wellbeing of the people receiving those goods and services. Water is an intensifying battle ground as this piece shows. I have read horror stories about cities who privatized their water systems only to have to reclaim them after the companies failed to either up the maintenance of the system creating a health crisis and/or failed to follow through on their other promises. Given what good neighbors profit driven companies based in distant places are, perhaps it won't be so bad.
We haven't used our dishwasher for nearly ten years. We weren't happy with how it cleaned the dishes and never could get it adjusted properly. We simply gave up. There are only two of us here so one of the suggestions the repairman made--to make sure we had a full load each time--was unrealistic. Mom always washes the pans separately anyway but even with a pan or two our few dishes each day wouldn't come close to filling the dishwasher. We could go a week if we had the number of dishes required before we would have a full load and by then the food residue we were supposed to leave on the plates would have dried rock hard. This little article, however, indicates that families with children might have healthier children by mothballing the dishwasher and doing their dishes by hand. Though cleanliness may be next to godliness too much can be a health risk.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Tuesday--
Chilly as promised this morning. Temps might go up to 60F. So far what I have already put in the garden is doing well. I saw several of the sunflowers popping up so I should be able to plant the beans next to them in a couple of weeks. I still have peppers, the Roselle tomatoes, hyssop, lemon balm, lemon basil and marigolds to put out. And sweet potato slips coming in the mail. I just got all of the Tumbler tomatoes off the fence and into the little greenhouse along with the Red Robin in a small pot. All the others are under caps. The weather people are calling for frost warnings for areas west of Chicago. We may be east but I really don't want to lose tomatoes I started myself and nurtured for the last three months. The herbs should be able to handle the cooler temps.
I find stories like this amusing. Often we hear a statistic on how much of something "we" Americans consume and sometimes we wonder who is getting our share. Things like chocolate, or beer, or something like that. Other times we wonder who would want all that crap. Some of the stats in the article were more accurate once--when we were younger. We've pared down a lot over the last few years and our shopping over the last 20 years especially has changed drastically. The totally unstated point lying beneath the statistics is that we reduced to that nebulous identity "consumers." Our value, for decades now, has been in how much stuff we could accumulate which was a rough estimate of how much money we earned and could waste on ephemera. Martin Luther King, Jr., said he looked forward to the day his children would be judged by the content of their character. Instead we all are judged by the contents of our closets (and garages and storage units and where ever else we can pile the crap.)
Wednesday--
Low 40s this morning. I could probably have left the Tumbler tomatoes on the fence but the wind was brutal which would have ripped them up. In spite of the chill I took my claw cultivator out to attack the weeds in my containers that are the results of the birds scattering their seed all over. Checked the covered tomatoes while I was at it and was totally surprised to see tiny buds on my Microtom tomato, a small pot variety.
This 5/3 Bank commercial is more blackly humorous than they realized. It tells more truth about the employment prospects of college graduates than I think they really intended and offers less assistance to those graduates than promised. If the jobs aren't there the bank's job search assistance won't do a hell of a lot of good.
Another good reason to eat as little fast food as possible.
Something to ponder as you watch the news reports about the latest Amtrak derailment.
This actually tops the policies of Florida Governor Rick Scott which prohibits state employees mentioning "climate change" and related words. Wyoming and other states simply don't want to know if their streams are polluted and have criminalized the collection of such data and transmission of such data to state or Federal agencies. Brings "Know Nothing" from the 19th century into the 21st.
Hee hee!! A new infestation spreading.
I adore the quote from Smedley Butler that starts this post. It is a perfect lead into the iniquitous list that follows.
Chilly as promised this morning. Temps might go up to 60F. So far what I have already put in the garden is doing well. I saw several of the sunflowers popping up so I should be able to plant the beans next to them in a couple of weeks. I still have peppers, the Roselle tomatoes, hyssop, lemon balm, lemon basil and marigolds to put out. And sweet potato slips coming in the mail. I just got all of the Tumbler tomatoes off the fence and into the little greenhouse along with the Red Robin in a small pot. All the others are under caps. The weather people are calling for frost warnings for areas west of Chicago. We may be east but I really don't want to lose tomatoes I started myself and nurtured for the last three months. The herbs should be able to handle the cooler temps.
I find stories like this amusing. Often we hear a statistic on how much of something "we" Americans consume and sometimes we wonder who is getting our share. Things like chocolate, or beer, or something like that. Other times we wonder who would want all that crap. Some of the stats in the article were more accurate once--when we were younger. We've pared down a lot over the last few years and our shopping over the last 20 years especially has changed drastically. The totally unstated point lying beneath the statistics is that we reduced to that nebulous identity "consumers." Our value, for decades now, has been in how much stuff we could accumulate which was a rough estimate of how much money we earned and could waste on ephemera. Martin Luther King, Jr., said he looked forward to the day his children would be judged by the content of their character. Instead we all are judged by the contents of our closets (and garages and storage units and where ever else we can pile the crap.)
Wednesday--
Low 40s this morning. I could probably have left the Tumbler tomatoes on the fence but the wind was brutal which would have ripped them up. In spite of the chill I took my claw cultivator out to attack the weeds in my containers that are the results of the birds scattering their seed all over. Checked the covered tomatoes while I was at it and was totally surprised to see tiny buds on my Microtom tomato, a small pot variety.
This 5/3 Bank commercial is more blackly humorous than they realized. It tells more truth about the employment prospects of college graduates than I think they really intended and offers less assistance to those graduates than promised. If the jobs aren't there the bank's job search assistance won't do a hell of a lot of good.
Another good reason to eat as little fast food as possible.
Something to ponder as you watch the news reports about the latest Amtrak derailment.
This actually tops the policies of Florida Governor Rick Scott which prohibits state employees mentioning "climate change" and related words. Wyoming and other states simply don't want to know if their streams are polluted and have criminalized the collection of such data and transmission of such data to state or Federal agencies. Brings "Know Nothing" from the 19th century into the 21st.
Hee hee!! A new infestation spreading.
I adore the quote from Smedley Butler that starts this post. It is a perfect lead into the iniquitous list that follows.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Monday--
We expect rain off and on today so no gardening. Everything looks pretty good. Next couple of days should be dry but colder as in lows in the mid to high 40s and highs in the mid 60s.
More Monsanto plots (in more than one sense.) They are like the proverbial camel sticking its nose under the edge of the tent as a prelude to taking it over.
Maybe it is time to add catnip back into the gardens. I had stopped after all my cats looked at me like I was crazy offering them catnip, in toys or otherwise. This piece says it is a better mosquito repellant than DEET. That alone would make it worthwhile.
We expect rain off and on today so no gardening. Everything looks pretty good. Next couple of days should be dry but colder as in lows in the mid to high 40s and highs in the mid 60s.
More Monsanto plots (in more than one sense.) They are like the proverbial camel sticking its nose under the edge of the tent as a prelude to taking it over.
Maybe it is time to add catnip back into the gardens. I had stopped after all my cats looked at me like I was crazy offering them catnip, in toys or otherwise. This piece says it is a better mosquito repellant than DEET. That alone would make it worthwhile.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Saturday--
Thunderstorms rolled through starting yesterday evening and continuing through the night. It is still dark so I can't see how my plants are doing. Update: now that I have light I can see all the tomatoes are bedraggled but alive. Sometime today I will have to get out my garden stakes and get them supported.
I follow a number of "sustainability" blogs or environmental blogs or homesteading blogs, what ever you what to call them. I have noticed this shift in some of them. They are dropping the term "sustainability" in favor of "resilience." I read the original story, included in full, yesterday but find the introductory comments interesting so linked to the Naked Capitalism site rather than the original.
Interesting and thought-provoking essay partly concerning the British elections. Kaiser's broader theme is political fragmentation in the Western world, the rise of corporate power and the implications of both for democracy. His outlook is about as gloomy as my own.
Sunday--Happy Mother's Day--
Rained most of yesterday and is still raining. It was heavy enough that that I worried over some of my transplants but so far all have come through--a bit ragged but all right. I have friends in Colorado who are getting their gardens in and setting up their bee hives and their weather is much worse. The rain should continue all day today and through the better part of tomorrow so I am not planning any outdoor activity.
Found an interesting article by Atul Gawande by way of Naked Capitalism. I recognize many of his arguments from his excellent book Being Mortal. Both are good descriptions of modern American medicine and its weaknesses, blindspots, and inefficiencies.
Ah, the perils and pains of globalization!! I have never been enthusiastic about the extremes to which it has been pushed and never believed in the pollyanna predictions of the benefits that would supposedly accrue to people like me. Most of us got lots of cheap crap and crap jobs out of it.
Thunderstorms rolled through starting yesterday evening and continuing through the night. It is still dark so I can't see how my plants are doing. Update: now that I have light I can see all the tomatoes are bedraggled but alive. Sometime today I will have to get out my garden stakes and get them supported.
I follow a number of "sustainability" blogs or environmental blogs or homesteading blogs, what ever you what to call them. I have noticed this shift in some of them. They are dropping the term "sustainability" in favor of "resilience." I read the original story, included in full, yesterday but find the introductory comments interesting so linked to the Naked Capitalism site rather than the original.
Interesting and thought-provoking essay partly concerning the British elections. Kaiser's broader theme is political fragmentation in the Western world, the rise of corporate power and the implications of both for democracy. His outlook is about as gloomy as my own.
Sunday--Happy Mother's Day--
Rained most of yesterday and is still raining. It was heavy enough that that I worried over some of my transplants but so far all have come through--a bit ragged but all right. I have friends in Colorado who are getting their gardens in and setting up their bee hives and their weather is much worse. The rain should continue all day today and through the better part of tomorrow so I am not planning any outdoor activity.
Found an interesting article by Atul Gawande by way of Naked Capitalism. I recognize many of his arguments from his excellent book Being Mortal. Both are good descriptions of modern American medicine and its weaknesses, blindspots, and inefficiencies.
Ah, the perils and pains of globalization!! I have never been enthusiastic about the extremes to which it has been pushed and never believed in the pollyanna predictions of the benefits that would supposedly accrue to people like me. Most of us got lots of cheap crap and crap jobs out of it.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Thursday--
Yesterday was gloriously warm and sunny--after the fog dissipated. I did get a new batch of the hummingbird nectar mixed and the feeder up. Also did a bit of rearranging of the containers. Planted the sunflowers and when the plants come up I will start the beans that will use the sunflowers as a trellis. On tap for today: transplanting the hyssop, tong ho, and some of the tomatoes. Starting the peas (a small pot variety--Tom Thumb), cucumbers and squash. We have to go out and get Mom's prescription so we will also go buy the garden shop and get our strawberries, spearmint and peppermint. How much I will get done I don't know but I should have some time tomorrow before the rain moves back in.
Friday--
Warm---very warm--and sunny yesterday. I got a large part of my transplanting done though we came home from the garden shop with a whole bunch of herbs and the strawberries. We weren't impressed with the strawberries we thought we would try--so far. They had a package of ten essentially bare root plants all bound together with a rubber band. Nothing about them looked alive. I planted them anyway and I will see how they do. I can always replace the with others if they fail. I hope to get some more plants and seeds in before the rain hits.
So what do I have planned in the gardens or planned? Tomatoes of course. (Costoluto, Amish gold, tumbler, MicroTom, Red Robin and Roselle.) Peppers. (Violet Sparkle, albino bullnose, and lipstick.) Peas. (Half Pint, a.k.a. Tom Thumb.) Beans. (Red asparagus, Gold Marie vining, scarlet runner Sunset variety, Blauhild.) Greens. (Tong ho, mizuno, orach.) Cucumbers. (Dragon's egg, Barese.) Squash. (Cupcake.) Sunflowers. (Candy Mountain, Gold Queen.) Herbs. (lavender, rosemary, hyssop, Moldavian balm, Bee Balm, lemon balm, lemon basil, sweet basil, spearmint, peppermint, stevia, summer savory, oregano, sage.) Sweet potato. (Beauregard.) I may have forgotten something in here.
Yesterday was gloriously warm and sunny--after the fog dissipated. I did get a new batch of the hummingbird nectar mixed and the feeder up. Also did a bit of rearranging of the containers. Planted the sunflowers and when the plants come up I will start the beans that will use the sunflowers as a trellis. On tap for today: transplanting the hyssop, tong ho, and some of the tomatoes. Starting the peas (a small pot variety--Tom Thumb), cucumbers and squash. We have to go out and get Mom's prescription so we will also go buy the garden shop and get our strawberries, spearmint and peppermint. How much I will get done I don't know but I should have some time tomorrow before the rain moves back in.
Friday--
Warm---very warm--and sunny yesterday. I got a large part of my transplanting done though we came home from the garden shop with a whole bunch of herbs and the strawberries. We weren't impressed with the strawberries we thought we would try--so far. They had a package of ten essentially bare root plants all bound together with a rubber band. Nothing about them looked alive. I planted them anyway and I will see how they do. I can always replace the with others if they fail. I hope to get some more plants and seeds in before the rain hits.
So what do I have planned in the gardens or planned? Tomatoes of course. (Costoluto, Amish gold, tumbler, MicroTom, Red Robin and Roselle.) Peppers. (Violet Sparkle, albino bullnose, and lipstick.) Peas. (Half Pint, a.k.a. Tom Thumb.) Beans. (Red asparagus, Gold Marie vining, scarlet runner Sunset variety, Blauhild.) Greens. (Tong ho, mizuno, orach.) Cucumbers. (Dragon's egg, Barese.) Squash. (Cupcake.) Sunflowers. (Candy Mountain, Gold Queen.) Herbs. (lavender, rosemary, hyssop, Moldavian balm, Bee Balm, lemon balm, lemon basil, sweet basil, spearmint, peppermint, stevia, summer savory, oregano, sage.) Sweet potato. (Beauregard.) I may have forgotten something in here.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Tuesday--
Mixed day yesterday. We had rain, at times heavy, in the morning but sun in the afternoon. Rain again this morning and expected to continue through the morning. No gardening again today. We have a school bond referendum to vote on today. Otherwise we expect a quiet day.
IS is claiming "responsibility" for the two idiots who tried to shoot up thatanti-Muslim "free speech" cartooning event in Texas. And our equally idiotic media is giving the story credence, as if it were a proven fact not the assertion of a bunch of homicidal assholes looking for notoriety. I won't link because it is all over the net and the TV. Is it any wonder I am a recovering news junkie?
Wednesday--
Update on IS/Texas news reports--the media is showing a bit more skepticism mirroring the more cautious government spokespersons. Took 'em a while.
Rain on and off yesterday and cool. All I did outside was check the pH and fertility of the large containers--both in good shape. We should have sun today so I plan to put in the tomatoes and maybe a couple of other plants/seeds. I think it really feels like spring when something green (but not weeds) is growing in the gardens. My brother said that he saw his first hummingbird a couple of days ago. I just put up my feeder so maybe we will get some visitors soon.
Is it surprising that the "traditional" colleges and universities are joining forces with the for-profit schools to lobby legislators to gut Obama Administration accountability rules? They both benefit from our current arrangement where the schools get paid with few questions asked about the real benefits of the services they supply, the government guarantees hefty loans that are not dischargeable in bankruptcy, and students pay forever. The result of that situation is soaring tuition, soaring debt, and an educational system which screws the students. Much like the health care system. The problem with both is that we not only don't have any accountability (except for the poor end user who is saddled with the debt) but we have no good way to judge the services provided. What are the desired results? Are they reasonable expectations? No one can say for sure. We are left with bombastic carnival barkers touting pie-in-the-sky for the most part.
Want to lose weight? Eat a piece of chocolate cake with breakfast. Sounds good to me.
Mixed day yesterday. We had rain, at times heavy, in the morning but sun in the afternoon. Rain again this morning and expected to continue through the morning. No gardening again today. We have a school bond referendum to vote on today. Otherwise we expect a quiet day.
IS is claiming "responsibility" for the two idiots who tried to shoot up that
Wednesday--
Update on IS/Texas news reports--the media is showing a bit more skepticism mirroring the more cautious government spokespersons. Took 'em a while.
Rain on and off yesterday and cool. All I did outside was check the pH and fertility of the large containers--both in good shape. We should have sun today so I plan to put in the tomatoes and maybe a couple of other plants/seeds. I think it really feels like spring when something green (but not weeds) is growing in the gardens. My brother said that he saw his first hummingbird a couple of days ago. I just put up my feeder so maybe we will get some visitors soon.
Is it surprising that the "traditional" colleges and universities are joining forces with the for-profit schools to lobby legislators to gut Obama Administration accountability rules? They both benefit from our current arrangement where the schools get paid with few questions asked about the real benefits of the services they supply, the government guarantees hefty loans that are not dischargeable in bankruptcy, and students pay forever. The result of that situation is soaring tuition, soaring debt, and an educational system which screws the students. Much like the health care system. The problem with both is that we not only don't have any accountability (except for the poor end user who is saddled with the debt) but we have no good way to judge the services provided. What are the desired results? Are they reasonable expectations? No one can say for sure. We are left with bombastic carnival barkers touting pie-in-the-sky for the most part.
Want to lose weight? Eat a piece of chocolate cake with breakfast. Sounds good to me.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Monday--
We were very busy over the weekend and didn't spend much time on the computers. All of the large containers are cultivated, fertilized and ready for the transplants or seeds. I am debating whether to move a five gallon bucket to the array outside. That would open up a bit of the patio space. But we expect rain today and tomorrow so I won't do any planting until later in the week. I think it will be safe and I have a bunch of cloches cut and ready in case. The blueberry I transplanted into a permanent pot seems to be doing well. I am watering it with acidified water--the water mixd with a small amount of vinegar. It treated all of the outside containers with sulfur as well as an acid based fertilizer. My water, as I have mentioned before, is alkaline and after several years the pH nudges toward 8.
Ouch!!! I have read about dead zones like the one off the Mississippi delta (and that appears to be growing) for a number of years now. The discovery of swirling dead zones migrating in the Atlantic is definitely disquieting news.
Ouch, again!! I, for one would definitely like to know if the residues of fracking chemicals are getting into the parts of plants we consume by way of water the companies have treated to remove such chemicals.
We were very busy over the weekend and didn't spend much time on the computers. All of the large containers are cultivated, fertilized and ready for the transplants or seeds. I am debating whether to move a five gallon bucket to the array outside. That would open up a bit of the patio space. But we expect rain today and tomorrow so I won't do any planting until later in the week. I think it will be safe and I have a bunch of cloches cut and ready in case. The blueberry I transplanted into a permanent pot seems to be doing well. I am watering it with acidified water--the water mixd with a small amount of vinegar. It treated all of the outside containers with sulfur as well as an acid based fertilizer. My water, as I have mentioned before, is alkaline and after several years the pH nudges toward 8.
Ouch!!! I have read about dead zones like the one off the Mississippi delta (and that appears to be growing) for a number of years now. The discovery of swirling dead zones migrating in the Atlantic is definitely disquieting news.
Ouch, again!! I, for one would definitely like to know if the residues of fracking chemicals are getting into the parts of plants we consume by way of water the companies have treated to remove such chemicals.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Saturday--
Very mild to start with temps in the mid 50s right now--a little after 5am. Highs expected to go into the high 70s. Now lows below 50 for the week so I will move all my little tomatoes into the little greenhouse and get some more cultivating in the beds.
This is absolutely insane--and totally irresponsible.
Sunday--
Lovely day yesterday and should be the same for most of today. Rain is supposed to come in later today. I put most of my tomatoes in the mini-greenhouse as planned--along with the Moldavian balm, summer savory, and mustard. I also cleaned up the patio--sweeping off the discarded bird seed and setting up the new feeder, cleaning out a couple of pots and the plant tower. Also transplanted the new blueberry which looks happy in its new pot. Planning when to start putting out transplants and where.
I wonder when someone will draw the parallels between this idiocy and the Enclosure Movement in England. Unfortunately, I don't think the sudden windfall for which ever of the wealthiest will fuel a new industrial revolution. Or revitalize the old one. At bottom is a philosophy of rampant individualism which declares that there are no communities just resources individuals can appropriate by any means and exploit to what ever end and whose ever detriment.
Very mild to start with temps in the mid 50s right now--a little after 5am. Highs expected to go into the high 70s. Now lows below 50 for the week so I will move all my little tomatoes into the little greenhouse and get some more cultivating in the beds.
This is absolutely insane--and totally irresponsible.
Sunday--
Lovely day yesterday and should be the same for most of today. Rain is supposed to come in later today. I put most of my tomatoes in the mini-greenhouse as planned--along with the Moldavian balm, summer savory, and mustard. I also cleaned up the patio--sweeping off the discarded bird seed and setting up the new feeder, cleaning out a couple of pots and the plant tower. Also transplanted the new blueberry which looks happy in its new pot. Planning when to start putting out transplants and where.
I wonder when someone will draw the parallels between this idiocy and the Enclosure Movement in England. Unfortunately, I don't think the sudden windfall for which ever of the wealthiest will fuel a new industrial revolution. Or revitalize the old one. At bottom is a philosophy of rampant individualism which declares that there are no communities just resources individuals can appropriate by any means and exploit to what ever end and whose ever detriment.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Friday--Happy May Day
I am so looking forward to the coming weekend and week generally. They say three days may feature good chances of rain but I don't mind rain. Sufficient rain simply means I don't have to water the gardens. We saw a little squirrel in our patio yesterday. He was able to squeeze through the small space between the cement and the bottom of the fence. The birds scatter the seed all over and he helped them clean it up. The robin has been visiting regularly so I hope he will over the summer when I will have bugs I would rather not have. If the overnight temps over the next week are warm enough I will move my tomato seedlings--the bigger ones--into the little greenhouse.
Jack Miles at HuffingtonPost has a good critique of American education policy and how it affects (negatively) our foreign policy. There is an old saying that applies here: when your only tool is a hammer all your problems look like nails. Right now we have a very limited tool kit. But I would amend Zakaria and Miles a bit. The failing goes well beyond the era of STEM. A tidbit from 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini's revolution swept Iran has remained with me: only (maybe) half a dozen of our diplomatic staff in Iran actually spoke Farsi. What is Farsi you ask? Just the national language. Only a couple of U.S. universities had programs for studying that language. Think that just might have helped create that diplomatic disaster?
Interesting notion!! A great way to heal the urban/rural divide.
Now, let's see this thing get into court and if the case can be proven. As a famous saying goes: any fool can take a case to court--it takes a real man (or woman in this case) to get their verdict.
I am so looking forward to the coming weekend and week generally. They say three days may feature good chances of rain but I don't mind rain. Sufficient rain simply means I don't have to water the gardens. We saw a little squirrel in our patio yesterday. He was able to squeeze through the small space between the cement and the bottom of the fence. The birds scatter the seed all over and he helped them clean it up. The robin has been visiting regularly so I hope he will over the summer when I will have bugs I would rather not have. If the overnight temps over the next week are warm enough I will move my tomato seedlings--the bigger ones--into the little greenhouse.
Jack Miles at HuffingtonPost has a good critique of American education policy and how it affects (negatively) our foreign policy. There is an old saying that applies here: when your only tool is a hammer all your problems look like nails. Right now we have a very limited tool kit. But I would amend Zakaria and Miles a bit. The failing goes well beyond the era of STEM. A tidbit from 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini's revolution swept Iran has remained with me: only (maybe) half a dozen of our diplomatic staff in Iran actually spoke Farsi. What is Farsi you ask? Just the national language. Only a couple of U.S. universities had programs for studying that language. Think that just might have helped create that diplomatic disaster?
Interesting notion!! A great way to heal the urban/rural divide.
Now, let's see this thing get into court and if the case can be proven. As a famous saying goes: any fool can take a case to court--it takes a real man (or woman in this case) to get their verdict.
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